The present invention relates to a two-part device for producing a toy wheel of cylindrical playing blocks which are composed of hard foam.
Such playing blocks are disclosed for example in the German patent document DE 197 49 493. The known playing blocks are molded and foamed from an agricultural raw material by injection molding. The playing blocks have an approximately cylindrical shape with spherical end surfaces. They are self-adhesive by moistening and thereby can be connected with other playing blocks.
Accordingly it is an object of present invention to provide a device with which a toy wheel can be produced from playing blocks of the above mentioned type.
The device in accordance with the present invention has a cutting device with a trough, in which a playing block can be inserted. In an angle inclined to the trough, the cutting device has a guide for a separating tool, for example a knife or a saw, so that a playing block inserted in the cutting device can be exactly cut through at a predetermined angle to its imaginary longitudinal axis. With double cutting of the playing block at axially spaced points, a playing block segment can be produced, whose end surfaces are arranged at an angle relative to one another. From a plurality of such playing block segments, a circular ring can be produced, whereby the end surfaces of the playing block segments are located in radial planes of the circular ring.
The inventive device has a joining device with a circular-ring-shaped trough for insertion of a number of the playing block segments, which are produced in the above described manner in the cutting device. By insertion in the circular ring-shaped trough of the joining device, the playing block segments abut against one another to form the above mentioned circular ring and are connected with one another, for example by glueing.
It is advantageous when the playing blocks are adhesively connected by moistening, so that no additional adhesive as an additional material is needed. The joining device can have a wheel shaft hole which is coaxial to its circular ring-shaped trough. In the wheel shaft hole, a wheel shaft for example a round wood rod, a straw stalk or the like can be introduced, and is held coaxially to the circular ring formed in the trough of the joining device from inserted playing block segments. A circular cover disk composed for example of paper board and provided with a central opening can be fitted on the wheel shaft. The circular ring formed of the playing block segments can be arranged on it, and they are glued together. The wheel shaft plugged in the wheel shaft hole orients the cover disk concentrically to the circular ring assembled from the playing block segments.
Finally, the circular ring which is assembled from the playing block segments and provided at one side with a cover disk can be withdrawn from the joining device, placed on its wheel side, and after piercing of the wheel shaft, provided with a cover disk on its second side. The wheel disk orients the second cover disk with respect to the first cover disk already applied on the circular ring, coaxially to the circular ring. The toy wheel is finished.
The present invention has the advantage that in a simple and child-friendly manner the manufacture of substantially circular toy wheel is possible. The toy wheel has wheel shaft openings for passage of a wheel shaft at both sides of the toy wheel, which is concentrical to the toy wheel. The toy wheel produced in accordance with the present invention rolls well, it is stable and has a diameter which is many times greater than the diameter of the used, cylindrical playing boxes. Furthermore, the present invention has the advantage that it makes producing possible at any number of identical toy wheels.
Preferably, the cutting device has two guides, which are arranged at a distance from one another and at an angle to the trough of the cutting device. During cutting of a playing block inserted in the cutting device with the aide of the two guides, a plane block segment is produced which can be assembled with further, identical playing block segments to form the circular ring. The distance between the two guides of the cutting device from one another and there angle towards the trough of the cutting device are selected so that the separating or end surfaces of the playing block segments are located in radial planes of the circular ring assembled from the playing block segments in the inventive joining device.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the guide of the cutting device is a slot, in which for example a saw, a knife or separating tool can be guided. This type of guidance is simple and allows the use of available knives or separating tools so that no special separating tool is needed.
It is advantageous when the slot is deeper than the trough of the cutting device. Thereby the playing block inserted in the trough of the cutting device can be completely cut through.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the cutting device has an abutment surface for the separating tool, for leading, the separating tool before the separating tool reaches the slot which serves as a guide of the cutting device. The abutment surface is located in one plane with a slot side wall, an abutment surface increases the slot at one side.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the device has a knife with a blade, a saw with a blade or a separating tool. The separating tool has a lateral thickening which extends substantially parallel to and at a distance from a blade of the separating tool. In a saw, the blade has an imaginary line over the saw teeth. The lateral thickening can be formed for example as a bead. The lateral thickening can be formed also for example by a blade, plate or the like of a separating tool with a wedge-shaped cross-section.
The lateral thickening can be one-sided or two-sided. When the separating tool is introduced into the slot of the cutting device, the lateral thickening limits a penetration depth of the separating tool of the slots. The lateral thickening prevents sitting of the blade of the separating tool on the bottom of the slot and therefore prevents a dulling of the separating tool. In addition, the penetration of the separating tool in the slot is dimensioned so that, a playing block inserted into trough of the cutting device is completely cut through.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.